Iconic women’s designer Kate Spade was found dead in her apartment Tuesday morning, the result of an apparent suicide, TMZ is reporting. She was 55. The outpouring of emotion online is just a small testament to Spade's impact on the world of fashion:
Spade met her future husband Andy Spade (the brother of David Spade) at Arizona State University in the mid '80s, moving to New York with him in 1986. After working at Mademoiselle magazine, Kate launched her handbag company with Andy in 1993. The two married in 1994.
Getty ImagesKate and Andy Spade.
Over the course of the '90s, the Kate Spade brand became a force in the women's world, eventually giving rise to a complementary men's label, Jack Spade. Throughout the 2000s, both brands boomed. For a time, it was pretty much impossible to go through a day without catching a small "Kate Spade New York" or "Jack Spade New York" label on a handbag or messenger bag.
In 2006, Kate and Andy sold their remaining stake in the company to Neiman Marcus Group, which had purchased 56 percent in 1999. In 2017, Coach, Inc. acquired the brand from Liz Claiborne Inc. (which bought the company from Neiman Marcus in 2006), for a price of $2.4 billion. Though the Kate Spade brand is still going strong, Jack Spade shuttered all of its physical locations in January of 2015 and now produces only a small number of goods. Kate, for her part, had gotten back into fashion in 2016 with a new line called Frances Valentine, named for the daughter she took time off to raise when her company sold in 2007.
The fashion world lost someone special today. Our thoughts are with Kate's family.
This story is developing. If you or someone you know is struggling or just needs to talk, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pr%2FQrqCrnV6YvK570q2wpZ1forKvv4yfmKygmaS7cK2RamdxbGRtgnC3wK2cZquglrGmecWaqqGhn6N6pbHSop6nnaJiwLa1wqKbnmWfl7a1wcCrsGg%3D